"Men Call it Love" (1931)

“Men Call it Love” (1931) - Intro

Written by: Josh Lansky

TCM’s “The Essentials”

Intro:

Hi everybody, I’m Dave Karger and welcome back to Turner Classic Movies, we’re continuing with our showcase of our star of the night, Hedda Hopper, with our next film, from MGM in 1931 it’s: “Men Call it Love.” The story is about crumbling marriages and infidelity among the well-to-do and a critique on their devotion and commitment, or more often in this case, the lack-there-of. Our star of the night, Hedda Hopper, plays socialite Callie Brooks, when Brooks proudly announces at a dinner party she’ll be getting a divorce from her husband, Henry, the reaction is telling. Divorce, by 1930s standards, was a taboo subject. The film gives an insightful look into the nuances of marriage and divorce from a 1930s perspective, but is contrasted with an unusual naughtiness for a film released in this era. Director of the film Edgard Selwyn was a former stage actor, he was also a screenwriter, a producer, and even an occasional playwright. But Selwyn’s biggest impact on Hollywood came when he and his brother founded the all-star feature films company in 1912. In 1917 that company merged with Samuel Goldwyn’s Company (formerly known as Samuel Goldfish) to form the Goldwyn Pictures Corporation, a forerunner to MGM. From 1931, starring Adolphe Menjou, Leila Hyams, Norman Foster, Mary Duncan, and Hedda Hopper, here's “Men Call it Love.”

“Men Call it Love” (1931) - Outro

Written by: Josh Lansky

TCM’s “The Essentials”

Outro:

Hedda Hopper’s ten year feud with columnist and friend-turned-foe, Louella parsons was legendary. Hopper and Parsons became rivals competing aggressively, and often spitefully, for the title “Queen of Hollywood,” although most agreed that Hopper was far more cruel. Hopper quickly acquired a reputation being catty and malicious, traits that made her all the more alluring. Hopper celebrated the sentiment, sarcastically calling her home “The House that Fear Built.” As Hopper’s power grew, she could end a loving marriage or destroy someone’s reputation with just a few snide words. A feat she accomplished a number of times, whether it was deteriorating Ingrid Bergman’s career after writing about her illegitimate child with Italian director Roberto Rossellini or denouncing stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Burton for their love lives. Following Monroe’s suicide fan letters to Hopper suggested that many readers believed it was Hopper’s bad publicity that led to Monroe’s suicide. Up next, Gene Raymond, Wendy Barrie, Billy Gilbert, and Hedda Hopper in “Cross Country Romance.” ******* (Men Call it Love - 1940)